At lunch I've been watching Obese: A Year To Save My Life on Sky Two. It's interesting for me because I am obese and whilst I haven't set myself a target of a year in order to reduce my weight to the level that I want (it's going to take me more than a year I have accepted that, although I still wish there was a chance for me to do it in a year) its interesting watching these people who are given an opportunity to change their lives and how many of them grab it with both hands and how many of them just do the minimum that is required of them.

If I had gone on this programme a year ago I would have been one of those people that did the minimum, I was saying that I wanted to change my life, but I wasn't ready. If I was then the different attempts I made at losing weight would have worked because I would have pushed myself, I would have taken the chance that had been offered to me. As soon as the year was over I would have been back to my old ways and undone all of the hard work and put back on all the weight I lost.

A couple of months ago going to the gym wasn't something I would have thought I would look forward to. A couple of months ago thinking about motivating myself to do extra exercise during the day on a regular basis wasn't something I would have thought I could get myself to do. A couple of months ago I was a different me.

I changed and I took the chance that was being offered to me. The only difference is the chance being offered to me isn't from some TV show but it's all me. Now I love going to the gym. I like comparing how I'm improving going on for longer or working harder each time. I love that I'm prepared to work harder each day to further my own efforts of losing weight and to improve my fitness and I love doing exercise.

I love the happy feeling of finishing a workout and knowing that was all me. I'm taking the chance at a better life for me and my family.

Flyfour keeps trying to tell me that he is proud of me, for the steps that I have taken to get more active and to become fitter and healthier and to be the right weight for me. Every time he says it, he has said to me that he feels that it is coming out wrong, that he is actually insulting me but I know what he means. I'm proud of me too, I've made changes and I'm sticking to them.

What I am more proud of though is that I'm inspiring other people to do it too. There are a few people on Twitter and Facebook who are giving me support (and I'm giving them support on their journeys too) but the one person I'm most pleased to have inspired is closer to home. Flyfour has decided that he needs to start doing regular exercise again too.

When A Mothers Ramblings won The Best MAD Blog for Family Fun last year part of the prize was some vouchers for spending in Evans Cycles. We debated a few times on what we would do with the vouchers, but when Flyfour had decided that he wanted to do some regular exercise I suggested that he should buy a new bike with the vouchers we had won.

Flyfour decided on this bike.

And the chap who served us was fantastic, he talked over all the benefits of different bikes, about different routes that Flyfour could cycle in the local area and even encouraged Flyfour to ride his bike home that afternoon... which Flyfour did!

Flyfour has been going out everyday either when I get back from the gym or before I go out depending on timing and he is loving it. I introduced him to Endomondo and he has been tracking his routes, planning new ones and getting ready for cycling to work once or twice a week in a few weeks time.

There is a long journey ahead of us both to get us to a fitness level that we are happy with and to get to a weight that both we and the Doctors are happy with, but we are prepared for this journey and we are supporting each other through it. We know that together we will achieve our goals.

I was in a bad mood before I got to the gym this morning. I was tired, I had overslept and wasn't in the mood for working out. I knew though if I didn't go to the gym and work out that I would regret it later in the day even if I had promised myself I would go in the evening. I decided to start on the treadmill, something nice and easy to ease me into the morning and chose a machine away from other gym members already working out. Another gym member was on a machine two to my left and another two to my right, but I was okay where I was.

It was good until another gym member got on the empty machine to my right, because he vaguely knew the chap on the machine that had been the other side of the empty treadmill. They started chatting and loudly; I had headphones on and could still clearly here them. The conversation they had was about why they had both joined the gym. Apparently they had both been advised by their Doctor that they needed to improve their health as they had both been diagnosed with diabetes. The chap who had been on the treadmill to start with seemed to be quite serious about his diagnosis and it was clear to me that he wanted to talk about it as it had had an impact on his life. I sympathised with him as Big Boys recent Type One diagnosis has had a huge impact on us. The second chap however started going on about how his diabetes has been cured now that he has started exercising and how who knew you could cure diabetes with exercise.

I wanted to punch this guy. He hasn't cured diabetes, he has simply discovered that the diabetes that he has (I'm guessing he is a type two) is managed better when he is taking part in regular physical exercise and I'm guessing again that it is better managed now that he has made some changes in his diet too. I've been told I should have told him what an idiot he was, that I should have told him that there is more than one type of diabetes, that he should be careful about what he discusses in public because he could offend other people with his I know everything attitude.

I didn't though. He didn't know that the conversation he was having loudly was going to affect anyone else in the gym the way if affected me, he didn't know that right now I would give up anything, do anything, say anything for diabetes to be something that can be cured. For my baby to not have to be injected and pricked and make wishes at night that he would only have to take the medicine one more time before he never needed it again.

I hope that one day the announcement is made that a cure for diabetes has been found and that maybe like the twunt at the gym suggested that it is something simple like doing some extra exercise that turns out to be the cure, but until that day every time I see the twunt at the gym I'll make sure that I turn my headphones up a bit more.

The feeds of my friends on Facebook have three common themes at the moment, Sports Day, 50 Shades of Grey and the 30 Day Shred. The first I of course have tweeted about (I do love me a proper competitive sports day) the latter is something I am about to blog about (in this here blog post) and the middle one? Well, I read the synopsis on The Book Spoiler as I didn't want to spend the whole summer not knowing what everyone was going on about, but I actually have no interest in reading it and even the quite detailed synopsis nearly had me collapsed in a heap of laughter, so I can just imagine what the book proper would do.

So the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels, she of The Biggest Loser fame (although she doesn't do it any more) has been filling my time line with friends posting things about not being able to move because of their work out or about how excited they are having lost a dress size in 30 days and on average 10lb. Now to me this sounds exciting, I mean I love The Biggest Loser and I love Jillian, I think she could whip me into shape in no time and so I thought I have to try this for myself. Plus 30 days and drop a dress size just with the 20 minutes of exercise a day (and a warm up and cool down on top) from a DVD? YES PLEASE!

So it sounds like a quick fix, and that is what it is really, but it is also a lot more. For a lot of women losing a dress size is more than a physical thing it's a mental thing too. I know that if I were a dress size smaller I would be over the moon about the progress I was making, but more importantly I would being able to make the mental connection to the physical actions. You do this everyday, you get this result. So I ordered a copy.

I did the first day, and I got through it. I screamed at times, I grunted, I cried and I did pause the video twice for five seconds to just catch up with myself. I was crying as I was doing some over head weighted arm presses. It was so much effort and my body wasn't used to it, I couldn't help but cry out. Big Boy was concerned enough that he came and sat next to me but, he knew that what I was doing was important for me and so he helped me the only way he knew by counting the reps for me. It worked. I focused on his voice counting what I was doing and stopped crying, I wasn't going to die exercising and after it was finished I was going to feel so good.

And that is exactly what happened, somehow I managed to struggle through and finish and apart from being sweaty and smelly and tired I felt amazing. The problem was that the next day I was at the hospital with BB whilst the Doctors worked out what was wrong and the next day I was a bit emotional with it all and the next day I was with my family and then it was Monday night and I didn't have time for the second workout. So I'm going to start again.

When I get back from the gym today, I will do the dishes and lunches, load and unload the washing machine, see Top Ender off to School and Daddy off to work before settling Big Boy down with a game or two whilst I do The Shred. It's hard and to do it on top of an already limit pushing gym session just might make me either crazy or stupid but it also might make me a size smaller and for that I'm willing to try.

I was tagged in a meme about the Olympics by Emmys Mummy and as I'm really looking forward to the inspiration I know that everyone will get from the athletes who will be taking part I thought what better way than to talk about Sport over here on Pippa World! Plus it means I get to show these great little Team GB Lego Minifigures which I saw in the Lego shop at the weekend and a lovely PR kindly sent me one of too!

If every day tasks were Olympic events what would you get a gold medal in?

At the moment I would have to say it would be the 100m Chase. As in chase Big Boy around the house to get him to have his blood test and injection. Or maybe the Going to the Gym event would give me a gold! I'm still going everyday.

As a child (or now even) did you excel at a particular sport and if so which one?

Not really, I did love Orienteering and I was quite good at it but I was never going to be the best. Although I did quite well the first year and was in the top ten in the county.

Michael Phelps (swimmer) or Michael Johnson (runner) which sport appeals to you more?

The running, but long distance running. I can swim and I love swimming (especially in the sea) but running was something I could do without having to think and I can't wait to lose enough weight that I will feel comfortable running again.

How fast can you get out of bed and ready to go out the door if you miss the alarm and sleep in?

I could do it in five minutes. Jump out of bed, run down stairs go to the toilet, have a quick wash and brush of my teeth, run back upstairs get me clothes on back downstairs and out the door. However that would mean not taking the children with me, or Flyfour and I'd look a little slummy!

What fantasy sport would you like to see made into an Olympic event?

I would have to say I would love to see speed weeding. They could hold it in my garden...

Claim to fame time - Have you ever met an Olympian and who was it?

I'm pretty sure I have, but I honestly can't remember! Is cricket an Olympic sport? I might have met a cricket player. Oh hang on I met Greg Searle but I didn't know who he was, but I blame Sally Whittle for that.

What event in past Olympics can you remember most vividly?

Erm. Yeah. I don't actually remember any of the Olympics ever.

Tuning in at home, not for me or tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms?

I have some tickets thanks to Coca Cola but we will be tuning in at home/the Gym and watching whilst working out ourselves!

Who do you think most deserves a gold medal (any walk or life not just Olympians)?

My sister, she has four children under five and cream coloured carpets.

I am not passing the flame to anyone because I think that just about everyone has done this Meme, however if anyone wants it let me know and I'll pass it on to you!

One of the questions that I've had a lot recently was why did you join a gym to lose weight? Why didn't you just carry on doing it at home? Yes, I have videos and TV channels that I could work out with and I have basic equipment at home and I even have access to a free outdoor gym at any time of the day or night (although at night it's a bit dark and scary and dangerous really!) so why pay out for a gym membership that is something that we can't really afford?

Well, over at A Mothers Ramblings a little over X Years ago I started trying to lose weight. I tried exercising more, I tried using computer games to help, I tried eating less, I tried drinking health shakes and it didn't really work. Sure, I lost a few lbs but nothing near as many as I needed to lose or even enough that would give me encouragement to push myself harder.

Joining the Gym was the step that I had to take to take control of my life, my weight and my fitness. I think of it as a line in the sand that I had to mark so I could show myself that I have moved forward from the old me, shed my old skin, personality and habits.

I knew that by joining the gym I would have to go and exercise, for if I didn't then the money we were paying out for the membership each month was just wasted and when like for so many others money is a very precious resource I can't afford to do that.

At the gym I have all the equipment I could possibly need and it is all maintained and top of the range. I don't have to worry about it breaking, about it not taking my weight, about where I am going to store it or even about the cost because someone else has taken care of all of that for me. At the same time I knew that joining the gym would give me access to people to help me train. Not necessarily personal trainers, but people who know how to use the equipment and can show me how to use them too. This isn't something that I would get at home or in the outdoor gym.

I really excited that I can take classes as part of my membership. If it hadn't been for the insistence of the poor chap who talked me through the membership and showed me round the building I would never have signed up to a class and that would be a shame as I absolutely love going to Aquafit and as soon as I'm feeling a bit more confident in my ability not to pass out from exhaustion I'll be taking a spin class.

At the gym I'm set up for success. There are no distractions, no dishes that need to be done, no washing that needs to be hung out and nobody that needs my attention. I'm there for one reason and one reason only and that's to work out.

I burst into tears yesterday whilst I was doing some step aerobics at home. Yesterday I had decided to watch a TV programme and do some exercise whilst it was on, so as not to just sit vegging on the sofa. It's the sort of thing that I always thought I would do, but never really got round to it because BB needed my attention or I would claim that I was too tired to do that as well as everything else but having been going to the gym for a month now I knew that the excuse didn't wash.

I really wasn't paying attention to myself and was watching the programme and getting really into it (The Newsroom on Sky, totally recommend it if you like Drama) when I suddenly realised I was bawling my eyes out. It sounds callous to say that I forced myself to carry on with the workout, without stopping to cry but it was what I really wanted. I wanted to be pushing myself for the time I had set to one side to work out.

I cried again this morning when I was at the gym, but I was so sweaty people probably just thought it was sweat running down my face. I tried really hard not to make those guilt inducing sobs, not that anyone would have noticed we all have our headphones on and the music in the gym is really loud. I pushed on with the cross trainer, pulling and pushing and stepping in time until I felt a little calmer and then came this ecstatic feeling, a feeling of accomplishment and then all of a sudden I knew why I was crying.

I was crying because exercising is cathartic. All the pent up feelings are pouring out, because my body is getting rid of a lot of negativity and those horrid little voices that tell me I'm overweight and no good are being silenced more and more each work out.

I cried because I'm working my body so hard the muscles are finally getting a chance to do what they were designed to do and it feels so great. I've lost a few lbs (four actually) since starting to work out and I can see changes in my muscle tone already and I'm proud of me instead of being ashamed.

These aren't the tears of someone working too hard that they are hurting, these aren't the tears of someone who is exhausted or someone who hates what they are doing. These are the tears of a woman finally realising that she can do this.

Part of the reason that I want to get fit and healthy is because I want my family to get fit and healthy. I want Top Ender and Big Boy to learn that keeping fit is fun and is something that you have to make time for in life. Something which whilst I know, I kind of forgot to put into practice since leaving School. This is why my challenge that I've set with Coca-Cola to win Olympic Tickets (You can still enter go take a look) is so important to me, it's close to home.

For us we are doing small things together like going for our weekly walks to local woods where we can spend time in the outdoors getting some fresh air, looking at the different plant and animal life and we've found that the Children love spotting the different changes in the seasons up close. Daddy and I get a chance to catch up on all our news, and stories that we've forgotten to tell each other from the past week and we finish our walk feeling more energised and closer as a family.

Then there are the weekly swimming date nights which have turned into Family Swimming nights. Whilst one of us adults looks after our two little not quite yet swimmers and has fun treading water and playing a few games (normally chase to encourage swimming around the pool) the other adult goes and swims a few lengths before swapping. Of course we still spend time together in the pool having a laugh together and that is what makes this weekly exercise so perfect. We don't realise that what we are doing is exercise, for us it is just family time.

When I think about it the children are always active, they are normally running around and jumping up and down and they don't see what they are doing as exercise for them it is just part of their everyday life. I guess that it's me that has to learn really that exercise is something that is part of my everyday life and it is something that we will continue to do as a family.

I finally remembered to check my measurements today. I kept meaning too, especially when I saw that I hadn't lost weight, but I was so busy researching about a low carb diet that I just didn't get time to do it before I fell asleep last night.

This morning after a quick gossip with my Sister I went and found the tape measure. Flyfour asked if I wanted him to help, but I said No. I didn't want anyone else to know that I had failed again. Not losing weight, not losing inches just losing hope.

It wasn't true though. Standing there measuring myself twice to make sure I hadn't done it wrong I realised that I had lost two inches from my hips and bust.

Prior to going to the gym every morning I was never tired. Now come 3pm my body screams at me to sit on the sofa and just veg out. I must admit that over the last few days I have given in and sat and read, or cuddled with BB and Tops whilst we watch a TV programme together or discuss what has happened during the day. I somehow make myself get up to make the evening meal, but I'm quiet and withdrawn, grumpy almost and then after our evening meal, although I'm still feeling tired, I push myself to go back to the Gym to go Swimming or for Aquafit. It's then that I'm truly awake again and when I get home I'm buzzing from the exercise and all the little endorphins rushing round my system make me feel great.

It's the afternoon slump that I'm trying to combat. When I used to work in an office I would see a lot of my co-workers hit this slump (particularly on a Friday afternoon) and they would turn to vast amounts of coffee or tea to get themselves going again. I don't drink coffee or tea for religious reasons (I'm LDS) so I can't do that.

I know a few of the staff would go for a walk to the coffee shop, not to get a coffee but just to get the blood flowing round again and to have a breath of fresh air. I do this every afternoon with the School Run, but I don't see any benefits to it. If anything I'm more tired after the School Run!

It's been suggested that going out in the sunshine for twenty minutes or so would help my body to realise this was awake time and not sleep time. I don't know if the person who suggested this has ever been to the UK during the summer, but let me show you what it looks like out there today.

Sure there is natural light, but there is no way you are going to find me out in the garden in the pouring rain for twenty minutes!

My sister suggested eating earlier or eating a banana as a snack for that slow release of energy to get me through the day. The problem with that is we like to eat as a family and Flyfour isn't home and ready to eat until about 6pm. The banana idea is good, but I don't like to snack before dinner but prefer to leave it for an after evening work out snack as I'm normally starving when I get back.

So what do you think? What would help me get over that afternoon slump where all I want to do is sleep?

This morning I lay in bed after my alarm went off at 5:30. I refused to open my eyes and I lay there for five minutes talking to that little voice that lives inside me.

"You don't have to get up and go to the Gym Pippa" it said to me
"Well, no I don't. I went yesterday morning and last night and I'm going to Aquafit tonight" I answered
"See, you deserve some time in bed. You need to rest."
"I could sleep in, couldn't I? There is no way BB is getting up early after last nights swim"
"Exactly! A nice long lazy lay in"

It was the use of the word lazy that got me. My eyes snapped open as I swung my legs out of bed, sat up grabbed my phone and headed off downstairs. Everything was downstairs ready for me to go, as I'd prepared the night before. As I do every night. I got dressed and checked everything over;

I started munching on the cereal bar as I headed out of the house, I've learnt already that if I don't eat before I go I feel sick as running on empty isn't good for me. I carefully shut the door behind me so as not to wake up the rest of the house and as I drove to the gym I half listened to someone on Five Live talking about something from the news whilst I went over what had happened.

I knew why that little voice was starting to talk back again. I knew why it was calling me lazy, it was grumpy and disappointed, because I was grumpy and disappointed.

Despite telling myself that I wouldn't weigh myself until I had been going to the gym three weeks I had snuck on to the scales on Tuesday, hoping to see some weight loss that would inspire me to work harder. Instead I saw no movement, no weight loss. Not even half a lb. I was sure that I'd have lost at least that in sweat in the last two weeks. I complained to my Mum. "Well, muscle weighs more than fat and you're probably making lots of muscle" she said. I knew that was true, muscle does weigh more than fat but I'm not gaining that much muscle. It just didn't add up.

I've been monitoring my food, weighing it and adding it to my diary. Totalling up the amount I've eaten and what I've drunk (mostly water, occasionally squash), I've added every single snack and when it's told me off for being too low in calories I've gone and found something healthy (like carrot sticks) to munch on.I'm recording all my activity too, adding it to my diary and watching the graph build up each day as I get fitter and can achieve more. I know I've got fitter in the last two weeks, my induction to the Gym left me exhausted and I'd only been there for thirty minutes. Last Sunday I increased my time on each machine from ten minutes to fifteen, I'm fitter than I look.

Whilst I was pedalling on the bike this morning I realised that I didn't put the weight on over night and it's not going to come off over night either. This is a long journey that I am on and whilst I might have started on it at a sprint because of my enthusiasm that doesn't mean that I'm going to see results just as quickly.I'm consoling myself that I'm getting fitter, surely that's worth seeing a delay in losing a lb or two?

I've been going to bed at a decent time for a few weeks now, and I'm loving waking up bright and early. I wonder what will happen when the mornings start getting darker again, I know that we haven't had the Summer yet, but Winter is just around the corner and I hope that I'm into a good gym routine by then.

I've worked out that for me it's best for me to get to the gym first thing. It's quiet (as it seems only a handful of people can manage a 6am start), most of my family are still asleep, it's a great way to start the day, and I can start the day knowing that I've already done the hardest part.

I've also noticed over the last few days that when I exercise first thing in the morning that I do it without thinking, without realising that I'm pushing myself harder. Looking at the work out charts the machines log for me I can see that each session I am steadily pushing harder each time. I'm clocking up more miles each time and I've come to the conclusion that one of my favourite pins on Pinterest is actually true.

I just hope my brain doesn't catch up with me until going to the gym every morning is a habit.

I used to make excuse after excuse with regards to how I couldn't fit exercise into my day. I couldn't do anything during the day because I would have to stop every time Big Boy decided that he wanted my attention. I couldn't do anything at night because as well as not liking to work out in front of Flyfour I was just too tired after a day of doing whatever it is that I do. I couldn't do it in the morning as I was asleep, I couldn't do it at the weekend as that is family time.

Recently I knew that things had to change, I couldn't keep making excuses. I had to take control. I had plans for the Summer, I was going to get the children controlling my exercise. They had to force me to go to the outdoor gym in the morning, to play on the Wii or Xbox in the afternoon and we would have to fit in things like going swimming, going for a walk and a picnic, going to the park and lots more besides and all around these two standing appointments.

When I joined the gym, Flyfour said to me that I had to go at least four times a week to the gym and swim once in order to make it worth the cost of the membership. I was really worried, how on earth was I going to take all this time out of my week to go the gym? I clean and cook, look after the children, make packed lunches, watch TV, read books, spend time with my family, Blog, Tweet, play games on the computer, take my Mum shopping and on top of that and a lot of other things I need to sleep too.

My turning point came when I realised that I had to make time to exercise, I had to make sure that in all the things I have to do in a day that I made sure that exercise was in there somewhere. This is how I'm doing it so far.

Walk before I eat

I go and run round my garden for ten minutes before I eat lunch or dinner (I already work out in the morning before breakfast) and that way I know that I am getting in at least twenty minutes of aerobic exercise each day. If I am on the phone instead of sitting and chatting I walk round my kitchen, or the living room. As I am on the phone to my Mum everyday for about fifteen minutes, my sister for about a half hour a week and I speak to my Nan for around forty-five minutes a week and I walk at about 4mph that means I walk around 12 miles a week just whilst I'm on the phone!

Schedule it

I speak with Flyfour and the children about plans for the next couple of weeks and then I schedule in my exercise around any prior commitments. I have synchronised my phone calender with my Google calender, added my husband and then I can keep a note of everything. As it's scheduled I know that I have to go or I might not have time later.

Go with a Friend

My sister started her running not long after I started going to the gym. We've made plans that we are going to go running together and possibly run a marathon or a half marathon together next year. I don't want to let her down and so I know that I have to train now so that I can be ready in the future.

I'm also loving the support that I am getting from everyone here on the blog, on Facebook and on Twitter. I love posting my random updates when I'm going to the gym, at the gym or leaving after a work out and getting the retweets, comments and encouragement from everyone. I feel like everyone wants me to succeed and I don't want to be the reason everyone is let down.

Do it Together

After the first two weeks of the early morning workouts I realised I was smiling in recognition at other gym members and they were smiling back. We got to know each other through sweating together and they have been encouraging me to push myself harder than I thought possible, they've been teaching me better technique. I know that if I don't go one morning they are going to question me why the next time I do go.

Of course I also managed to work out that exercising with my family is a great thing. Going to the park and working out by running round with them, playing football or just going for a walk was a great way to pack in some family time and exercise.

Get up early

I decided to go to the gym when the gym first opens, (every weekday morning at 6am) instead of sleeping in or laying in bed reading. I get up, get to the gym and get done all before the children are out of bed. It's been great, and is a perfect way to start the day. I've found that I'm getting more done, I'm exercising more during the day and even though it feels that I'm not seeing Flyfour as much I know that I'm doing something that will extend my time with him in the long run.

So that's how I'm making time for exercise. Are there any other ways I could squeeze in more?